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Born of Silence (The League #5)

4.45 of 5 stars 4.45 · rating details · 3,224 ratings · 402 reviews

Death Stalks Them All...

Kere is the second most infamous member of the shadow organization known as Sentella. An explosive engineer who strikes terror into the hearts of the League, the bounty on his head is truly staggering. No one knows his true identity.

The daughter of a traitor, Zarya Starska grew up hard on the back streets of hell- her family hunted to the brink of...more

ebook, 436 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by Grand Central Publishing (first published January 1st 2012)

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Best adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels of 2012

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May 10, 2012 Lauren aka John Matthew's Girl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, wishlist, hot-hunky-hero, library-has-a-copy, best-books-read-in-2012, favorites, sexy-sexy-sexy

Well, I was right. Sherrilyn did have a humdinger of a story here! Wow. Just wow. What a great book! I can't recommend this highly enough!

14 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2012 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: assassin, scifi-beam-me-up-scottie, challenge-2012, dreamy-heroes, tortured-hero, redhead-hero, dangerous-or-bad-boy, favorites, royal-hero-or-heroine, anti-hero-or-heroine, my-5-star-romances

The fifth addition to Sherrilyn Kenyon's The League series. Wow! I "discovered" Sherrilyn Kenyon's The League series only a few months ago and devoured them all quickly. For whatever reason her other series didn't do it for me. Anyway, I have been anxiously anticipating Darling's story for a while. I wasn't too sure of how I was going to like it at the beginning but as I read farther and farther into the story I was entranced. But this book is no light fluffy romance. There are over 600 pages of...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

**SPOILER FREE**
I went into this book convinced I was not going to like it. Darling has been a beloved character for me ever since the start of the series. And I was absolutely livid about the idea that after three books, Sherrilyn Kenyon was taking a character who had always been gay and making him straight. From the moment I finished the tepid Born of Shadows, the idea festered in my head. I complained about it for a year. Then I started reading this book and it blew me away from the very begi...more **SPOILER FREE**
I went into this book convinced I was not going to like it. Darling has been a beloved character for me ever since the start of the series. And I was absolutely livid about the idea that after three books, Sherrilyn Kenyon was taking a character who had always been gay and making him straight. From the moment I finished the tepid Born of Shadows, the idea festered in my head. I complained about it for a year. Then I started reading this book and it blew me away from the very beginning.

Obviously, Darling is not gay and in my heart of hearts, that may always bother me on some level. But Kenyon makes it work. I'm not going to spoil how, because it's part of the journey. In fact, I'm going to try really hard to keep as much of the plot to myself as I can because I don't want to rob you of the shocking twists and turns the story takes us on.

The bare bones are as follows. Darling has been having a super-secret affair with a Resistance fighter named Zarya for two years, but he's been doing it as his alter-ego Kere. She has never seen his face but their love is real and they plan to get married. And then it all goes to hell. Darling's miserable past is slowly revealed over the course of the book and as horrible as it is, what he goes through in the present may actually be worse. The depths of his misery are hard to bear. I question whether anyone can go through what he does and emerge with a soul intact on the other side, no matter the depth of the love or friendship that surrounds him.

Kenyon is the queen of the tortured heroes and while Acheron may always reign supreme as the most tortured, Darling gives him a run for his money --and if you've read Acheron that should tell you a lot. What Darling has, though, that Ash never did, is an amazing friend in Maris. I love Maris. He is the glue that holds Darling together when he begins to crack and I'm so glad this character existed to give our hero some shelter from the storm.

As for Zarya, she makes a mistake that has serious consequences. But I believe she is a good person. And there is absolutely no doubt that she loves Darling with her whole heart. The question becomes whether her love will be enough to help heal him.

The cast of the previous League books feature prominently and Kenyon does a fantastic job maintaining continuity. I loved learning how Darling became part of the Sentella and seeing how Nyk, Syn and the others became his real family. It's also great to see the old characters not just used as placeholders for a happy ending update, but as a real part of the story.

And the ending. It was one heck of an ending. A game changer for the series.

I'm not going to say any more, except that if you are a League fan and were on the fence about this book, I urge you to read it. You'll be moved... outraged... and amazed. Or at least, I was. 4 1/2 stars.

*ARC Provided by Grand Central Publishing(less)

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Mar 29, 2013 Louise marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: the-league

♪♫♪Funny you're the broken one but I'm the only one who needed saving
Cause when you never see the lights it's hard to know which one of us is caving♪♫♪

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May 05, 2012 Jess the Romanceaholic rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: most-anticipated-reads, april-2012, 2012-read, tortured-hero, physically-imperfect-or-scarred, physically-tortured, betrayal, overkill, talk-too-danged-much, steam-level-steamy

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Hachette
Imprint: Grand Central Publishing
Author’s Website: sherrilynkenyon.com
My Source for This Book: Amazon.com
Part of a Series: Yes, Book 5, The League Series
Series Best Read In Order: Works well as a standalone,
but I would recommend reading the series in order.
Steam Level: Steamy

I'm devastated. Simply devastated. I have been anxiously awaiting this book since before it w...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, author-sherrilyn-kenyon, 1-series-i-am-rabid-about, romance, hero-i-wanna-hug, hero-ugly-scarred-disfigured, mad-bad-and-dangerous-to-know, pdf-kindle, virgin-or-inexperienced-hero

I am a reluctant fan of this series, I normally find SK's writing style a teensy bit annoying, but I can't get enough of The League series.

BUT DUDE! Wasn't Darling Cruel gay? WTF is he doing with a female HEA? There better be a good explanation why suddenly breasts fascinate him again, otherwise I may have to give up!

Review

Kere is a lethal assassin and also one of the founding members of the Sentella, an organisation whose aim is to fight injustice where they find it. But, he is also Darling Cr...more I am a reluctant fan of this series, I normally find SK's writing style a teensy bit annoying, but I can't get enough of The League series.

BUT DUDE! Wasn't Darling Cruel gay? WTF is he doing with a female HEA? There better be a good explanation why suddenly breasts fascinate him again, otherwise I may have to give up!

Review

Kere is a lethal assassin and also one of the founding members of the Sentella, an organisation whose aim is to fight injustice where they find it. But, he is also Darling Cruel, the next Ruler of one of the most powerful kingdoms in the Universe and also one of the most despised men in space. Humiliated and tortured on a daily basis to keep his family safe no one really knows the true Darling Cruel, not even the woman he loves, Zarya , the leader of the rebels who oppose his family rule and knows him as Kere, an ally to her cause. But, her love for Darling is tested when her men drag him to her in chains without his mask.....and she fails with devastating consequences.

I admit I was highly skeptical about this book, I mean Darling was gay right? So what's he doing with a girlfriend? I was told it would all be explained in the book to my complete satisfaction, and I admit I am not as devastated as I thought I would be. In any other authors work apart from Sherrilyn Kenyon's I may have still been disgruntled, but been as Ms Kenyon seems to take great delight in torturing her heroes more then any other author I have ever read, her coming up with Darling being gay in a severely homophobic society who enjoys watching his pain and humiliation kind of makes sense.

But despite being apprehensive about the gay thing, I have been looking forward to this book, although I don't really like her Dark Hunter series (there are exceptions, Vane and Wren yum!) the League series has captured my imagination. Logically I know that it is basically Dark Hunters -in -Space, but something about it makes me preorder each new book in the series. This book wasn't that much different from the others, only to time it was Darling's turn on the rack and Zarya's turn to sooth him, and I liked both of them and they definitely had on the page chemistry. I did find their relationship a little bit hard to swallow at first because of previous events, but by the end, much like the gay issue, I accepted it.

What I liked most about this book was the way at the end the game has been changed, and I can't wait to see the impact this has on the next book In the series, which I believe in Hauk's although it looks like there will be a novella for Maris towards the end of year.

Although this wasn't much different from any of the other books in the series, I did enjoy it and will be eagerly waiting for the next book.(less)

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May 11, 2012 Seeker ~ Elarinya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, assassins, beyond-reality, comerade-ship, family, fantasy, friendship, happily-ever-after, paranormal-romance, romance, top-shelf

*Warning: SPOILERS!!!!!!*

This is, without a doubt, my favourite The League book of all time. Possibly my favourite Sherri book of all time.l She experimented with a lot of new things this time around and didn't follow her usual pattern when it came to her plotline and characters. I mean I love all of Sherri's books but they usually follow more or less the same grid frame and structure. As per usual with paranormal romances.

The first thing that was different was that Zarya and Darling were alrea...more *Warning: SPOILERS!!!!!!*

This is, without a doubt, my favourite The League book of all time. Possibly my favourite Sherri book of all time.l She experimented with a lot of new things this time around and didn't follow her usual pattern when it came to her plotline and characters. I mean I love all of Sherri's books but they usually follow more or less the same grid frame and structure. As per usual with paranormal romances.

The first thing that was different was that Zarya and Darling were already dating before the story began. Even more unusual is the fact that Zarya was dating Darling as her Sentella alter ego - Kere - without at all knowing what he looked like and still loving him with such a level of fierce devotion. While this appeared to be an unusual take to a relationship and difficult to justify the love they declared for each other, Sherri wrote it in a way that their relationship at the beginning of the book was just as real and genuine as any other relationship despite Zarya's lack of knowledge of Kere's other persona and his appearance. This is one of the first times we experienced the Betrayal and the brutal past first hand. We were there with Darling through the ultimate Betrayal from the woman he loved and the vicious torture that scarred his existance. We're usually there only for the healing process in the other books. But with this one, we were there for the destruction AND the healing.

Sherri explored such a newfound depth of humanity and emotion in this new book with Darling. It was incredible and so poignant that I found myself laughing, crying and suffering with Darling through everything he's forced through. Sherri takes you on a rollar coaster ride of emotion and doesn't let you go even long after you've flipped the last page. I also loved how the plotline followed a more domestic, political approach. In the previous League books, I enjoyed the run while on the chase, the constant fights, the surprises,danger-at-every-turn and edge-of-your-seat plots. But the more confined approach she took this time with focusing on the Caronese Empire added to the focus on the emotional buildup and the chaotic turmoil that exemplifies Darling's life.

Sherri also adds incredible dynamic to other relationships other than romance, something very few authors manage to do so well. Darliing's friendship with Maris was so incredibly sweet and touching. It was the ultimate portrayal of true friendship and loyalty. The funny, witty comraderie is what we're used to with all other friendships in Sherri's books and it was present in this novel too. It's signature Sherri and adds caustic humour in just the right places. But rarely has she ever explored the true depth and love that friends have for each other beyond the banter and the mission runs that they have together. There was excellent contrast demonstrated between Darling and his friends in the Sentella (Nyk, Syn, Hauk, Caillen) and with Maris. With the Sentella crew, it's what we're used to with Sherri and the comraderie between the guy characters. They'll as readily insult you with every thing they've got as take a bullet for you. It's like that with Maris too, but there's a much deeper element to it than just that. While there are failures, mistakes, arguments and regrets when it comes to friendship, but when it comes down to it a true friend is one that stands by you through the test of all things, unflinchingly, right till the very last second.

"If you're going to hell, buddy, I'm driving the bus"

The same ges for family love, family can fail you too but sometimes you need to find the strength to push past the hurt and come through for the people you love. Ryn, Drake and Natale had jagged relationships with Darling for various reasons. But all of them found it within themselves to see through their arrogance, fear and anger to make peace with their inner demons. Darling's fierce protection for his siblings is just incredibly sweet and endearing.

And can I just say how much I love Darling? Despite what fate throws at him over and over again and the hardships he's forced to endure, he still manages to retain the humanity within him to demonstrate fierce courage, unyielding loyalty and passionate love. After being forced to pretend to be passive and gay against his nature, his resilient character is what makes him shine. His level headed patience and quick witted mind makes him an excellent politician and a governor to restore the Cruel's name and heritage. And add the fact that he's one of the most lethal bad asses out there and a trained assassin, is there anything that could possibly make him more perfect? Man, I wish Zarya would have gotten cold feet at the wedding so I could marry Darling myself.

Reading Born of Silence reminds me of why I love Sherri's books so much. No one's perfect. Everyone disappoints us at some point in our life. And when that happens, the betrayal and pain is crushing but it takes a far greater person to be able to get past the hurt that consumes us and to find the courage and strength to love again. (less)

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Apr 09, 2013 Lexxie (un)Conventional Bookviews rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, fave-series, i-own, kindle, paranormal-adult, fave-2012, read-in-2012

I think The League series is my favorite series by Sherrilyn Kenyon! I love the intergalactic problems, the League, the Sentinella, the characters, the strong women... And Born of Silence kept me awake at night thinking about it, it touched me on a very deep level, and it was beautifully written!

Full review can be found on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews.

The League series is always filled with surprises, amazing fights and a real love story. Born of Silence follows the other books in the seri...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 08, 2013 Pete rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sk

Ok, I have to start out saying that I am a huge Kenyon books fan where bitter enemies in the beginning become HEAs by the end with twists and turns and yoyo ups and downs via shocking to monstrously evil scenes being unfolded. This book excelled at the bug on a windshield back and forth from love to hate to love in a most graphic and emotional way.

The gay to hetero switch was intriguing via its lengthy revelation without irritating me like other reviewers. The torture history was somewhat impla...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Dangermousie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aaangst, female-tough-agents, horrible-childhood-of-h-h, hurt-comfort, perfect, romance, scifi, virgin-hero

OK, the hero of this does have the most ridiculous romance novel name ever (Darling Cruel. Do not ask) but the novel itself is top-notch. It's a space opera with insane levels of hurt/comfort (it's Kenyon so I assume trigger warnings for extreme torture and sexually/physically abused past on part of hero are unnecessary. But seriously - if you are at all squeamish, stay away, this almost maxed me out and it never happens), a nifty plot, a tough-as-nails heroine, an incredibly damaged hero you ca...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Jola Davis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am constantly floored by the writing of Sherrilyn Kenyon, in that she touches the very heart of what is important about a story. This book was a page-turner from the very beginning and it was very difficult to put down just to sleep. There are many quotes from this book that could be used in everyday life. Her ability to draw a person into the text and keep them enthralled the whole way through is what keeps me clamoring for her books and waiting on edge for the next release. I have not read a...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Catlin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, romance-of-a-sort

Well this was my first foray into sci-fi (accidentally I might add as well, I saw the name Kenyon, noted its length and thought 'vampires!'). My, my am I glad that I picked this book up.

'Born of Silence' is too long for a casual read but my goodness was it fantastic!

The idea of the book is that a kingdom under the rule of a cruel (view spoiler) and tyrannical leader (view spoiler) within the U...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Me Lin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2-stars, futuristic, weapon-toting-hh, z-kenyon-sherrilyn

I was really looking forward to this installment of the League Series. I wish I could say I liked it more than I did.

At first I thought I might be over Kenyon's style, but then I remembered that I really liked (Infamous), so my dislike can't be because her style doesn't appeal to me anymore...I think it was just this book.

First of all, everyone seemed excessively whiney. Maybe it's because this was an audiobook and the reader's voice was a little overdramatic, but I just kept thinking, "If one...more I was really looking forward to this installment of the League Series. I wish I could say I liked it more than I did.

At first I thought I might be over Kenyon's style, but then I remembered that I really liked (Infamous), so my dislike can't be because her style doesn't appeal to me anymore...I think it was just this book.

First of all, everyone seemed excessively whiney. Maybe it's because this was an audiobook and the reader's voice was a little overdramatic, but I just kept thinking, "If one more person spills their sob story, I'm going to vomit." I know Kenyon's typical heroes and heroines are tragic characters, but it just seemed like every single person in this story had some tragic thing they had to share. If it wasn't Darling and Zarya (which I expected), it was Maris, Darling's brothers, Nero, Darling's or Zarya's sisters going on about something. I guess I only have so much empathy to spare characters in a book and this book maxed me out. I felt like Kenyon needed to stick to the sad stories of the three main characters (Maris, Darling and Zarya) instead of pulling in all the misery from every character she could find.

Another thing that bothered me were all the "wise" (and overly cynical) sayings that the characters kept quoting one another. For example, Maris tells Zarya about a "saying" that Darling's father used to have. I was expecting a sentence, maybe two. It must have gone on for like 2 minutes. It just seemed unrealistic that Maris would have committed something like that to memory. And don't even get me started on the 20 principles that Darling's dad made Darling memorize - and how he recited ALL 20 to the nobility in a speech. Are you kidding me? Yawn.

Finally, I have to comment on the treatment of the gay characters in the book. I've never read a pro-gay book so overfilled with stereotypes of the gay culture than I did here. I'll admit that I'm not especially tight with the gay community (though I do have openly gay friends) but I felt like Kenyon must know only one type of gay man. Not that there aren't flamboyantly gay men like Maris out there, but I feel like your average gay guy is a fairly normal guy who happens to be gay. Maris was every gay stereotype there is. I'm sure there are pacifist gay men and gay men who wish they were women, but I don't think they're the norm (of course I could be wrong). In the book, both hetero- and homosexuals alike assumed that all gay men are passive, submissive, and effeminate. I could understand heterosexuals making those assumptions, but not other homosexuals. I can't help but compare Kenyon's gay characters with gay characters written by Suzanne Brockmann and JD Ward. Brockmann and Ward both seem like they have a better understanding of human nature than Kenyon does. B and W are able to capture the humanity of their gay characters; Kenyon mainly captured the gayness of her gay characters and nothing more.(less)

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Nov 20, 2012 Kiara rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

-spoilers within-

Honestly, I have to wonder why in the world I keep reading most of the Kenyon novels nowadays, especially when I thought I learned my lesson when Acheron came out. It used to be I was in love with a lot of the novels, mostly for the Dark Hunter series, that she wrote, but now? Now I just find myself shaking my head and trying to come up with reason why each novel only gets worse.

This was the first book I read of the series since most of the others were taken by other people at t...more -spoilers within-

Honestly, I have to wonder why in the world I keep reading most of the Kenyon novels nowadays, especially when I thought I learned my lesson when Acheron came out. It used to be I was in love with a lot of the novels, mostly for the Dark Hunter series, that she wrote, but now? Now I just find myself shaking my head and trying to come up with reason why each novel only gets worse.

This was the first book I read of the series since most of the others were taken by other people at the library. However, I think it was enough to paint me a general picture of what awaited me in the others. As I've noticed with other novels, generally what is made out to be a big issue is quickly resolved in few pages. For instance, where Darling was being hostile and distrustful towards Zaraya because he believed she had betrayed him. Within a few pages, they were doing the do and everything was fine again. Wtf? I'm sorry, but sex is not a complete cure for everything and I really don't like it being used as some quick fix method for problems just to get the couple together quicker. Seriously, whatever happened to pacing relationships anymore rather than just having them constantly humping their problems away?

Darling disappointed me a great deal and frankly, I'm not surprised. For someone who started out with potential, he quickly faltered into the same category as every other hero who got their HEA. Not only do they end up horribly emasculated, but they no longer retain anything interesting about them. I always find myself rooting for everyone else who's not in this love story because they are far more interesting than the main characters. I also never got why Darling waited so long to kill his uncle, considering how quickly his uncle went down. Nope, smart Darling is smart and he WAITS FOR THE DAY. Also, I'm tired of having the scarred and broken down man trope shoved in my face constantly when it came to Darling. I get that he didn't have the best life growing up, but once we got more details about his abuse, it honestly got to the point where I felt shit was just being made up and tossed in there to make us feel more sorry than we even were for him at the start. Sorry Dar, I'm all out of sympathy.

Another issue was the heroine. In the beginning, I was immediately presented with her stupidity thanks to being told she never gets to see what Kere looks like and she's okay with screwing around with someone and never seeing his face because she 'trusts' him. Yes folks, love at it's finest. He doesn't apparently trust her enough to show her his face the whole time they've been together, and wants to wait until their wedding day. Remember folks if she's stupid enough to say yes, then chances are she won't be able to escape the idiotic trap she's caught herself in :D As said, that doesn't speak love to me, especially since what they had was built up on nothing more than hormones and lies. Sadly, her intelligence does not improve and only gets much worse from here. Don't even get me started on her lame attempt at being a bad ass female. Seriously, how in the world is she in charge of this rebel band again? She has Darling taken prisoner and never bothers to check up on him to make sure he's even still with them? How in the world does a leader like Zaraya states she is get into that situation or even hope to maintain such a rank when she's obviously slacking?

I did however like Nero, about the only thing that was worth reading out of the whole book. However, if he gets a book, I'm not going to read it. Acheron was a favorite character of mine and I saw what a disappointment his book turned out to be, so I'm staying clear of Nero's.(less)

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Sep 22, 2012 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I will be honest here: I am not sure why I even read Kenyon anymore. When I first discovered her, it was through the Dark hunter series, which was pretty standard paranormal romance type stuff, but still interesting and different enough to be worth my time. Characters like Kyrian and Valerius were great: immortalized warriors from the past, living in the modern world.

The culmination of that series came with Acheron, which to this day I still think is a split as far as interest for me. The first...more I will be honest here: I am not sure why I even read Kenyon anymore. When I first discovered her, it was through the Dark hunter series, which was pretty standard paranormal romance type stuff, but still interesting and different enough to be worth my time. Characters like Kyrian and Valerius were great: immortalized warriors from the past, living in the modern world.

The culmination of that series came with Acheron, which to this day I still think is a split as far as interest for me. The first half of the book was devastating, and i literally opened page one and didnt ut the book down till it was done. The second half, I feel, was wishy-washy, and Kenyon definitely made Acheron into a wuss.

After this I read the Dream Hunter books-again, not outstanding, but definitely worth a Saturday cup of coffee. More of the same stuff as Dark hunter books but with different character backgrounds. Pretty good, though.

When I found the League series, i thought well, here it is: the brutal, sexy, raw writing Kenyon showed us in the first half of Acheron, with the kind of heartbreaking stories and almost-unbelievable believable heroes that we love to love. NyKyrian Quiakides is a phenomenal character, both monster and man in one. This was the man Acheron should have become at the end of his story.

Born of Silence has some good elements-Kere/Darling as a straight man who struggles to protect his friends by letting them think he is gay to avoid political upsets...a close relationship with a woman he can never reveal himself to...loved only by his very gay friend and confidante...yeah. The requisite violence and torture were in this book, to be sure. However, I found myself a bit lost about halfway through the book, and by the end I was jsut wishing it was over. I think what happened here isnt the authors fault, its mine. Acheron started out with such a hype, so many expectations, and his story started out as the true embodiment of every single one of them. It fizzled, though, and ever since I have been disappointed in Kenyon's work, with the exception of the league stories...and now, it seems, they too will become commercialized fodder. Sigh.(less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Lillykane rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: never-finished

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'd like to let it be clear that I love Sherrilyn Kenyon and her books in general. This is just my rage against Born of Silence and the destruction of my most cherished ginger character since my late hubby, Fred Weasley, may he live forever in my heart.

***** WARNING! DARLING CRUEL'S FAN GIRL HATE RANT *****

I was waiting for this book like crazy. I mean, Darling Cruel, c'mon, the name is freaking brilliant, not even to say he is a GINGER, known as a dandy, is a prince annnd has long hair! Sort o...more I'd like to let it be clear that I love Sherrilyn Kenyon and her books in general. This is just my rage against Born of Silence and the destruction of my most cherished ginger character since my late hubby, Fred Weasley, may he live forever in my heart.

***** WARNING! DARLING CRUEL'S FAN GIRL HATE RANT *****

I was waiting for this book like crazy. I mean, Darling Cruel, c'mon, the name is freaking brilliant, not even to say he is a GINGER, known as a dandy, is a prince annnd has long hair! Sort of.

For starters, I think that for everyone who has read the other books in the series it has become an understatement that Darling's (*fan girl squeal* I love his name! XD) life ain't been easy. But, wait for it...

Enter Zarya, Zaira, Zayra, or whatever name that b**** has (I can't seem to remember, even though I just closed the book a second ago) and acts like the "freaking bullet that killed Kennedy"! Arrrrrrrrgh!!! So you will not forgive him for killing your sister? I'd freaking have her tortured just like they did to Darling just to get to you, you awful, awful, AWFUL character!!!!
What was done to Darling is unforgivable! The way the "heroine" reacts at it is disgusting. The way she keeps thinking she is so righteous is, is, is.. aaaaargh. And the way she simply turns out to be THE ONE who can save him after everything she's done is the greatest insult of ALL. After everything she did or didn't do, I wanted to have her commit suicide and be done with this book.
Really? Really? Really, Zarya, Zaira or Zayra? He told you to shut up, so boo hoo, poor you who is a woman and told to shut by a man you let be sodomized so brutally for FIVE months, he had to have his bowels reconstructed! Yeah, let him be raped by really sharp objects, that's his bad, but don't dare he tell you to shut your mouth!

Seriously, I know part of why I read romance is because I need to assure myself there are awesome heterosexual men out there that can treat you like a lady without them having to be gay. It's fiction, I know, but still I hope. I digress... I WISH Darling was gay. The only person who deserved his love was Maris. I swear, now I want him to be as gay as they come. I'll just erase I EVER read this book in my mind and forget it ever existed. Forget that an awful character like Zarya, Zaira, Zayra or whatever was created by Sherrilyn.

I never hated a character as much I as hate this one now. I just want my Darling whole again. Now I'm just depressed and crying for what could have been... I gave up this book around chapter 12, I think. Threw it away to recycle, so I can protect other people from this mental trauma. (less)

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Sep 01, 2012 Jessika Theologus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sherrilyn-kenyon

OH.MY.GOSH. I just finished reading this story for the SECOND time since it came out. I was sucked into the world of Darling, Zarya and all the other Sentella (and so many others!) world just as quickly as tye 1st time I read this! I absolutely adore every single one of the League books, but Born Of Silence has a very special place in my heart that none of the others could. (A lot like Acheron's book in the Dark Hunter series) I laughed at the crazy antics of all the characters and had tears com...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Jessen Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Even though Kenyon has a predictable plot, it is one reason why I love reading her books. There are books where I want to be challenged and surprised, and there are those that I call my "comfort books". Kenyon's books are among my comfort books and I know that I won't ever be truly disappointed because I know what to expect!

That being said, I'm glad that I was finally able to read Darling's story. I've wanted to read his story ever since Born of Ice (Dev's story a couple decades after Nyk's and...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Sunny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Once again I read a book without reading the preceding books. I don't think I missed anything. This book is fine as a standalone. Well-written but it does have some unbelievable portions. For example, Darling's mother knew he wasn't gay yet continued to treat him as such even when there was no one around to keep up the ruse. When he finally came out as straight (interesting twist) she acted as if it was a shock. Now your son pretended to be gay so that you wouldn't be killed because you were hav...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Mia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the League book I'd been waiting for. I couldn't wait for Darling's story. I was concerned prior to starting that a "gay" character was going to end up with a woman... I worried that it was a "cop-out." I'm happy to say, though, that the reasons are perfectly acceptable.

Darling's story is as heart-wrenching as you expect it to be. It didn't quite hit the level that we get in Acheron's book (Dark Hunter series), but it still hurt my heart. In the face of horrible treatment and abuse, Dar...more

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Jun 22, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was long winded and had lots and lots of explanations as to one man's history, Darling Cruel. Born of Silence reminded me of the book Archeron (also by Sherrilyn Kenyon), the first half where the writer details what Artemis did to Archeron to keep him in line. That is the same here, only those keeping Darling in line were far to numerous to mention and more deprived. Both characters had absent mothers, both had no love in their lives except one close individual and both had relatives w...more

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May 17, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, sherrilyn-kenyon, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I've said this before about Kenyon, but for me, reading her is definitely like coming home. There is a way she writes that is just so familiar to me. That feeling didn't change with this book. I've been a huge fan of Kenyon's for years. I've read her Dark Hunter/Were Hunter books since there was only a handful of them published. I love that series with my entire heart, but I have to say that Kenyon really has found her niche with the League Series. You can obviously tell that science-fiction is...more I've said this before about Kenyon, but for me, reading her is definitely like coming home. There is a way she writes that is just so familiar to me. That feeling didn't change with this book. I've been a huge fan of Kenyon's for years. I've read her Dark Hunter/Were Hunter books since there was only a handful of them published. I love that series with my entire heart, but I have to say that Kenyon really has found her niche with the League Series. You can obviously tell that science-fiction is a deep love for her. It's not that she doesn't write the other series with the same passion (although, the last few books in the DH series, I've begun to wonder), but she really shines with this genre.

I have to say that Kenyon really knows how to make her characters suffer. I mean, REALLY make them wish they had never been born. Darling saw no shortage of horrors in his lifetime. From the time he was a young lad up until his late 20's, he had been tortured, sodomized, beaten to near death, disfigured, stabbed, shot, mocked, humiliated, and everything else that is horrible in the world. By the middle of the book, you kind of just want to go, "Jesus Christ, there's more?" Every time you thought it got as bad as it is going to get, something else happened to Darling to make the last bad thing seem like it was just any other day. I'll be honest, it kind of got tedious after a while, but before it could be come too overwhelming, Kenyon finally puts a cap on the torture porn, and puts on track to getting Darling on the path to healing.

The love story between Zarya and Darling wasn't the best. I like it when it starts fresh, and we can see that love blossom. In this book, the love was already there, it just took severe damage because Z is probably the WORST Resistance Leader on all the planets, and just let her crew do whatever they liked. It was a clear case of letting her emotions rule her job. I kind of have an issue with that, because it seemed like if it had been the other way around, Darling would have been shown as the clear headed hero who didn't let past prejudices get in the way of doing what was right. I guess Kenyon had to have the snag in the love tapestry, I just wish that it wasn't the woman who screwed up ALL the time. Granted, Darling was pretty freaking intolerable after he killed his uncle and decided to take a Swan Dive off the deep end into the crazy pool, but for the most part, it was Z trying to make up for her gross insight. I really wished she had finally told Darling that she made a mistake, yes it did cost him a lot, but he did some crappy things as well. I guess he forgot about the time he indirectly had her sold into the sex market.

The book was rather brilliant in its subtle commentary on gay people. The derogatory terms were a bit much at times, and I wonder if Kenyon was doing that to be a little sensational, but nothing the "bad guys" said aren't anything that I'm sure homosexuals don't hear today. It's still a little saddening, though, that even in an alternative universe, homosexuality is still considered a 'sin' and an 'abomination'. Then again, if it wasn't, then Darling wouldn't have had half of his back story.

All is well, though, and eventually they make up and she gets pregnant (another thing I find redundant in Kenyon's verses), he becomes the Darling the Greatest Emperor To Have Ever Emperored and everyone lives happily ever after...with the League waiting in the shadows to strike. I'm interested to see where she goes with the next book, and if Kyr will finally meet his doom. I hope, above all hope, that is' Maris that finally takes him down.

I don't think I've loved a character as much as I loved Maris. I hope he's featured more in the other books, because he is amazing. A-MAH-ZING.(less)

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May 13, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This series in itself is hit or miss for me. Perhaps it could be the time difference between when the first books were written and when the newer ones were. This book was unbelievable to me. Her heroes always have heartbreaking pasts and Darling Cruel was no exception. I just couldn't get past the torture when the resistance held him captive. It was beyond depraved and I understand that it happens, but it was still too much for me to believe that he could come back from that so easily. Sure he w...more

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May 11, 2012 Joyfully Reviewed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: joyfully-reviewed-miranda, paranormal, recommended-read, fantasy, suspense, sizzling, brooding-hero

Born of Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The League, Book 5
Grand Central Publishing
Paranormal, Fantasy, Suspense
ISBN: 978-0446573313
Darling Cruel lives a double life. To most of the Ichidian universe Darling is thought of as a weak gay noble with a feeble mind but that is far from the truth. He must put on a show for his treacherous Uncle. Darling must never threaten his Uncle’s position until the perfect time for him to take his rightful spot on the throne. He has honed his mental and physical skills...more
Born of Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The League, Book 5
Grand Central Publishing
Paranormal, Fantasy, Suspense
ISBN: 978-0446573313
Darling Cruel lives a double life. To most of the Ichidian universe Darling is thought of as a weak gay noble with a feeble mind but that is far from the truth. He must put on a show for his treacherous Uncle. Darling must never threaten his Uncle’s position until the perfect time for him to take his rightful spot on the throne. He has honed his mental and physical skills by taking on a second identity of Kere, a founding member of the rogue Sentella organization. As Kere, Darling can express his darkest thoughts through physical violence, fighting for his people that have been mistreated under his Uncle’s rule. One woman has captured Kere’s heart and trust, but how will she handle it when she discovers his true identity?

Zarya Starska grew up a royal but was thrust out when her father was betrayed by Darling’s Uncle. Now, Zarya is leader of the resistance, fighting the royal government against its mistreatment of the people. She never thought it was possible but she has fallen in love with Kere a Sentella warrior. She may have never seen his face but she knows his spirit and loves him dearly. When it looks as if they might start a life together and she might see the real Kere, he disappears.

Just as Darling’s dreams of love and retribution are coming to fruition he is betrayed by the only person he ever let himself be vulnerable with. A weapon he forged as Kere and gave to Zarya for protection is used against him and his beloved sister. The betrayal doesn’t stop there and it precipitates his decent into madness. Scarred, abused and betrayed, Darling descends into a dark and lonely place. The only one who might possibly bring him into the light is Zarya. Will he give her a chance to rebuild his broken soul?

Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Born of Silence is a dark gripping romance that engulfs the reader with its powerful heartfelt story. This is my first League story and I can tell you that you don’t have to read the previous four stories but I’m sure it would help you enjoy some of the secondary characters more. After reading Born of Silencen, I am definitely ready to go back and dig into the previous novels. Ms. Kenyon has built an amazing and intriguing world with characters that are fierce and sensual.

Born of Silence is at times hard to read because of its brutal story. Darling and Zarya have both led difficult lives but Darling’s suffered such abuse it’s hard to imagine it’s possible for him to have kept his sanity. The atrocities he has suffered at the hands of people who should have protected him are so terrible it’s hard to forgive them. Darling constantly battles his enemies and his self-hatred. The scars on his face are only the tip of the horrible things he must overcome. You have to wonder; is it possible for him to love and let himself be loved?

Zarya and Darling have an epic love story in Born of Silence. They share plenty of passion and love. They begin the story with love and trust but then lose it and must re-earn them again. Their journey is a long and arduous one but it is truly worth it. Ms. Kenyon has masterfully crafted an all-encompassing love affair in Born of Silence.

There is one character that is so important to the story and that is Darling’s best friend Maris. Without Maris I don’t think that Darling would have survived most of the things that have fallen upon him. Maris brings much comic relief to this sometimes tragic tale. However, Maris’ scenes are tipped with pain as it is obvious that he is truly in love with Darling. One of the reasons that I love Maris so much is that he can see through his love to what his friend truly needs and he makes sure Darling gets it.

If you’re a fan of brooding heroes and tough as nails heroines who share sizzling chemistry and a one of a kind paranormal story that will take you on a thrilling journey then Born of Silence is for you! I thoroughly enjoyed this story about love, loss and never giving up. I’m Joyfully Recommending it!

Reviewed by Miranda for Joyfully Reviewed(less)

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May 08, 2012 Jeanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm having trouble deciding what I really think of this book. I love the story itself and I like Darling a lot too. My problem with the book was that everything was in extremes. The emotions, the actions, the responses, the behaviors - they were all so over the top that it was hard to believe that there was any way the story would have an HEA. Truth be told, I'm still not sure that I can believe that Darling's character would have forgiven Zarya for what he felt was her betrayal. The emotional d...more

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May 07, 2012 Kj rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WARNING: Born of Silence is Book 5 in The League series, so characters and events of the previous stories will be mentioned. This is a series that does need to be read in order. (Well, most of it! Book 3 Born of Ice and the novella Fire and Ice are both set a generation ahead of the other books, so they can be held off to read later.) And yeah, I’m going to give out some SPOILERS, too…

The League series is a MUST READ for me – one of those where I’m calculating time zones to figure out how soon...more WARNING: Born of Silence is Book 5 in The League series, so characters and events of the previous stories will be mentioned. This is a series that does need to be read in order. (Well, most of it! Book 3 Born of Ice and the novella Fire and Ice are both set a generation ahead of the other books, so they can be held off to read later.) And yeah, I’m going to give out some SPOILERS, too…

The League series is a MUST READ for me – one of those where I’m calculating time zones to figure out how soon can I download the newest release to my eReader. I can’t mention enough how much I love this series! As much as I love Kenyon’s Dark/Were/Dream Hunters and Chronicles of Nick series, they just do not compare to how much I love this one! Maybe because I’m a sci-fi geek at heart and this is, after all, a sci-fi series. If you like seeing new planets, meeting alien races, and adventuring with space pirates, smugglers, assassins, and bounty hunters – and playing with some really cool technology along the way -- then this series is for you! It takes you to places that make Mos Eisley look like Disneyland and Han Solo’s favourite cantina like a tea party. With heroes and heroines that make ninjas sound like elephants and Chuck Norris on his best day moves like a slug in comparison.

Background: The League was setup in the past as a group of trained assassins and mercenaries who loosely enforce its own laws within the Ichidian universe. Anyone can hire them for enough credits to either kill or imprison a hated rival – political or personal – but they will also step in as a military force to aid or destroy planetary governments. I think of The League as a sort of mafia that has gotten out of control, and is currently under the control of cruel sociopaths. Nothing is bigger, badder or more feared than The League. Serving as a bastion of hope against The League and trying to right injustice where it can, is The Sentella, a renegade organization founded by some of the toughest, most feared men in the universe that have been lucky enough to either avoid or escape from The League’s twisted sense of punishment. The Sentella is the only force that truly rivals The League.

Born of Silence is the story of Darling Cruel. We’ve met Darling throughout the other books of the series. He’s the gorgeous but scarred, charming, quiet, buddy of the other members of the Sentella. He is also the heir to the Caronese throne, and currently under the control of his uncle – a demented, evil man who killed Darling’s father, tortured his family, and executes anyone that defies him. Darling is his favourite whipping boy, primarily because, in order to save other members of his family, Darling is continually putting himself between everyone else and his uncle. The abuse he suffers is horrific, truly nightmarish – made even more so because Darling is living a lie.

SPOILER: As a teenager, he started a pretense of being gay which led to unspeakable abuse and the disdain of all of the Caronese people who mock and insult him. His uncle finds this particularly shameful and beats and shames Darling at every opportunity for what he sees as a perversion. To fight back against both his uncle’s tyranny and the injustice of The League, Darling is one of the founding members of The Sentella and serves as a liaison to the Caronese Resistance. Like the other founders, he hides his identity. He presents two distinct personalities to the world: Darling Cruel, the public effeminate, spoiled, homosexual prince and Kere, the heroic Sentella fighter honoured and admired throughout the planetary systems but with a face forever hidden either behind a battle helmet or in the total darkness he insists upon when making love to the woman who has captured his heart and who has given him hers in return without knowing what he looks like or who he is.

Zarya Starska is the daughter of an aristocrat who was stripped of his title and had half his family murdered by Darling’s evil uncle. Zarya is the leader of the Caronese Resistance force, and had led many fights against the government trying to overthrow the throne which has been held by the Cruel family for many generations. After fighting alongside Kere, seeing him save her fighters and herself while putting himself at great risk, she falls in love with the infamous hero. After nearly two years of secret affairs in darkness, Kere proposes and tells her next time they meet, he will reveal himself and his true identity to her.

Fortune and the gods that play in the Ichidian universe are never nice to its heroes. As fate would have it, Darling Cruel is captured by the Resistance. When his uncle refuses to pay ransom, the Resistance turns to torture and abuse the like of which I’ve only read once before (in Kenyon’s book Acheron). While she is the leader of the Resistance, Zarya is so caught up in trying to discover why her lover Kere has vanished that she pays little attention to their royal prisoner and assumes that they’ve let him go, unknowing that her fighters continue to torture and abuse him for months, taking out all of their hatred and frustrations against the ruling class on him. Darling thinks Zarya is uncaring about the abuse. As the torture continues, love turns to hate. Eventually The Sentella finds and frees him, capturing Zarya and turning her over to slavers as a punishment. Darling has become a monster, consumed with hatred, and wreaks vengeance on his enemies. His wrath is almost as horrific as the abuse he suffered, although I can’t help but cheer when he confronts his uncle. But just when you think he’s gone too far and his own people are about to assassinate him, his best friend Maris finds Zarya and brings her back to Darling in hopes to calm the beast. Zarya and Darling are left to try to rediscover themselves as well as their love for each other in the midst of public disdain, political unrest, assassination attempts, and facing off with The League itself.

Kenyon’s novels are never that straightforward or cleancut. There are plots, twists, and characters that are seldom what they seem. It all combines with nonstop action in Born of Silence, making this a book that is as emotional as it is adventurous. Heartstopping. Thrilling. And even better, it opens up a lot of exciting new possibilities for more books in this series. I can’t wait for more!

(less)

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May 05, 2012 Rae rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, romance, library-books

Once it got going I enjoyed this book as much as I've enjoyed the others in the League series. That said, it took way too long to get to that point. There was a lot of repetition of information and, frankly, just too much information. It definitely got tedious at points. The book would have been just as good or even better perhaps if it had been half the length.

Also, and I'm not sure why it bothered me so much in this book when I haven't noticed these things in the others, the use of today's ver...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

WOW!! I've really enjoyed The League series and the interplay between the core group/generation if characters and this has made me a very happy fan (of the series and Sherrilyn Kenyon's books).

Born of Silence fits well in the series, every character has had an extremely hard life and dealt with a lot of abuse but Darling Cruel has taken so many mental and physical beatings how is still functioning I can't understand!

Its great to see a different into lay between the lead characters of Darling an...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Nikki rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, audio-book, fantasy, science-fiction

Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of those authors that have been floating around the edges of my awareness. I had heard of her but never read her work. I thought I'd giver her a shot. As this was my very first Sherrilyn Kenyon novel, I tried to keep an open mind. Especially knowing this was the newest in a series that I had not read. But...
Oh. My. God. I didn't think this would ever end! It just seemed to stretch on and on while going over the same stuff I already knew. I get it. Darling had a crappy lif...more

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About Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sherrilyn Kenyon lives a life of extraordinary danger... as does any woman with three sons, a husband, a menagerie of pets and a collection of swords that all of the above have a fixation on. But when not running interference (or dashing off to the emergency room), she's found chained to her computer where she likes to play with all her imaginary friends. With more than ten million copies of her b...more

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Dance with the Devil (Dark-Hunter, #4; Were-Hunter, #1)

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Quotes from Born of Silence

“The world isn’t fair. And no matter how good and decent you are, no matter how much you give to others, someone is always going to hate you for no other reason than the fact that you breathe. You can’t help that. You can’t change people or their minds once they’ve allowed them to get twisted by hatred. But you can change how you deal with them. Never back down, but walk away when you can, fight when you must. Whatever you do don’t give them the power to hurt you. Don’t let them inside you. They’re not worth it. Live your life for yourself. Stay true to yourself and if they can’t see the beauty that is you, it’s their loss. Let the bitterness take them to their graves. Spend your time on what matters most. Being you and appreciating the people who see you for who and what you are. The people who love you, and the ones that you love. They are all that matter. Let the rest go to hell.” - Drux Cruel” — 42 people liked it

“The past is history written in stone that can't be altered. The future is transitory and never guaranteed. Today is the only thing you can alter for certain. Make the most of it.” — 24 people liked it

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Born of Silence (The League #5)

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